


Keepsake

by SpiritLock



Series: Amber and Ice [3]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluffy and a little bit cute, Fumbled Kiss, Keepsake, Mooning over Cullen, POV Inquisitor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-05-06 20:05:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5428991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiritLock/pseuds/SpiritLock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lia finds something under Cullen's pillow one morning and recalls the fumbled kiss in Haven.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keepsake

Lia was watching Cullen sleeping. He looked peaceful now, slightly snoring, his chest moving gently as breathed. So tempted to reach over and stroke the scar above his lip. It was seriously enticing, and she constantly wanted to trace her finger over it. Plus he had the most beautiful lips for a man. That and his eyes, pools of golden amber she could drown in. Nobody had that right to be that attractive, it was way too dangerous. She sighed; here she was mooning over him.

He was a fidgety sleeper though. His carefully crafted hair was a bundle of curls by the morning. The one aspect of vanity in him, and hardly even that really. Lia liked it curly, but Cullen wouldn’t be swayed to leave it that way. Everything else was slung on in the morning, but the hair, that was done with care. The first time she’d seen him do it, he was a little embarrassed, probably not helped by her watching him avidly. She was fascinated. She smiled. Cullen and his hair.

Her own hair was quite short, spiky by nature, and it took less than a minute to just stick a brush through. Somehow their roles were reversed when it came to hair. It seemed to sum them both up, roles reversing back and forth between them. Lia stretched over gently, so as not to wake him, and played with a lock of his hair. He stirred slightly, before settling again. As he moved, she saw something poking out from under his pillow.

She moved her hand carefully and pulled it out. It was more than familiar, it was hers, and she thought she’d lost this back in Haven, months ago. It was a little woven braid, blue, black and white that she’d worn on her wrist. Cullen had it all this time. Maker, he was obviously more sentimental than she’d realised, he had a keepsake of her. But there many unexpected things about him she’d found out, and she suspected many more she had yet to.

Lia guessed when he might have got hold of it, but a tad surprised he’d hung onto it. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

They’d returned to Haven after recruiting the mages in Redcliffe, getting back late. Lia had sent a bird ahead to let Leliana know that she’d offered the mages an alliance. She hoped the tumult would have subsided before she got back, she knew it would be a contentious decision. 

Plus she was bringing back a Tevinter mage with her. But working with and talking to Dorian, she trusted him. He was certainly more honourable than Vivienne, who would have turned on Lia in a heartbeat if it suited her purposes. Josie had already warned Lia to keep on Vivienne’s good side. Didn’t mean she had to like her, which she did not.

Sadly Lia’s plan had a flaw, Cullen. He was not happy. When they arrived back, she found Cullen, Leliana, Josie and Cassandra in the Chantry, waiting for her, still discussing her decision. He’d wanted the Templars. She’d recruited the mages, and not even conscripted them. The inevitable occurred.

She remembered his first words to her.

“What were you thinking? Turning mages loose with no oversight, the veil is torn open!” his voice annoyed and testy.

The argument then went around and around, until eventually getting settled. What she’d seen in that dark future worried her much more, than the manner with which she took them into the Inquisition. Dorian was right, it should not come to pass. After a War Council meeting, everyone went off, and it was getting late. But Lia didn’t like leaving things on an uncomfortable note. She went back to her cabin and sat for a while, not able to relax. 

There was no way she would be able to sleep until she’d talked to him, tried to smooth things between them. If it had been Josie or Leliana, she would have done the same, but it wouldn’t have bothered her nearly anywhere as much. Maker, this man had managed to worm his way into her head, from the day she met him at the Temple. For all his gruffness, she liked Cullen, she liked him a lot.

They didn’t always see eye to eye on matters, not surprising considering they were from opposite sides, she a mage and he an ex-Templar. But however prickly he could be, there seemed to something softer, kinder inside him. There were occasional glimpses, a smile, a word of advice when she trained, a drink in the tavern. Lia shook her head, here she was, a grown woman, and whenever she got one of those glimpses, it made her day brighter.

She got up and headed out to find him. She guessed he might be out walking, as he wasn’t in his tent. She wondered how much he slept, he was often up late and then awake early. Lia wandered around for a bit to see if she could find him. Having looked and no joy, she was about to leave when she saw him wandering back across the ice, and heading for path by the jetty. 

She saw him pause at the edge of the lake, and called to him as she made her way down the path.

“Cullen, do you have a moment?” she enquired, watching him turning to face her.

“Of course,” he replied, walking forward a little and then stopping, waiting now.

Lia had her speech all mapped out, what she would say to him. But the slope was icier than she anticipated. Her feet became the blades of a sled as she began to slide, desperately trying to stay upright, careering down the rest of the path.

“OOOhhh..” was all she could say as she saw she was heading straight for him. He ran forwards to try and catch her. Well, he did, Lia landing splat against him with an oof, the momentum wrenching her first backwards, and then forwards, almost cracking their heads together. She ended up staring straight into his face, and he was staring right back at her, their eyes locked on each others’. The shock morphed into a heady feeling. Heady like that first drink, when it starts warming slightly in your stomach, and head; and you get tingles in your arms and legs. 

She didn’t know how long they were like that, but then they were wrapped up a kiss, and not the most elegant of kisses. Their noses brushed on the way, and it was a wonder they found each others’ mouths. It was all so sudden, she didn’t know who initiated it, and lasted only seconds. There were voices and they both broke away. Then there was embarrassment, coughing, making apologies, and they walked off back up the path, Cullen allowing her to go ahead.

What she did know was her heart was pounding, and she felt as if she was intoxicated, as if her head and body weren’t connected properly anymore. Suddenly this grown woman was 13 again, and just had her first kiss. They got to the top of the path. She turned to look at him, she wanted to say something, and she wanted to kiss him again. But he started walking back to his tent, with just a “Goodnight Herald” as he left. The moment had passed. “Goodnight Commander,” she replied and that was the end of it.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was over before it started. Lia thought perhaps he regretted it and didn’t push it further. And she later found out that was exactly what Cullen thought. If only one of them had...

“Li?” Cullen was calling her.

“Sorry, I was miles away...I found this,” she showed him the braid. “You kept it,” she smiled.

He stretched out his hand and traced his the back of his fingers across her cheek. “Of course I did,” he said smiling back. “I found it attached to my vambrace. I think it must have come away when you landed against me.”

“You could have returned it. Maybe we could have...” she knew that was silly, they probably still might not have got it together. She sighed.

“I wanted to, but well, I didn’t want to embarrass you. I just ended up keeping it,” he said, watching her.

Lia rolled onto her front, watching him, chin on one hand, the other holding it up swaying it slightly. “You keep it under your pillow?” she teased.

Cullen took it from her. “Yes... something to say about that Li?” he challenged, and tucked it back under the pillow.

“Nothing at all, I think it’s cute,” she lilted.

“Besides, don’t think I don’t know about that lock of hair you keep under yours. I guess you snipped if off one time I was asleep. And tied with a ribbon no less,” he smirked.

Li’s jaw dropped. “When...how...why did you look there,” she finally got out.

“I didn’t as such. Your hand was under there, and when I looked, you were clutching it.” She could see him daring her to take this further, his eyebrow raised.

Lia gave in. He didn’t know about the other one, the one she always took out into the field with her. That one was her other keepsake, her good luck charm, and reminder of him when he wasn’t there.

**Author's Note:**

> I found Cullen out of his usual spot in Haven during gameplay. This combined with the fumbled kiss mentioned in Promises, led to this.


End file.
